Earn My Trust

Chapter 25 - The Charity Gala Part One

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The day had flown past for Hannah.
As it was the end of the month, they were all busy setting up ready for payday on the first of the month. All three of them had worked through their lunch hour to ensure they met the hectic deadline and were all exhausted by the time it reached five o'clock.
Hannah couldn't help but feel like she was living a double life. At work, she was the plain, boring payroll assistant, but in the evening and outside of work, she was the elegant partner of the richest man in the world.
Once she had been chaperoned home, things immediately got hectic for her again.
Una came round to get ready with them, as they were all going to arrive together, but it was also to make sure she understood what to expect tonight.
They had patiently allowed the hired makeup artist and hair stylist to push, pull, and prod them until they were elegantly glamoured up and left as a group for the event. Along the way, Una and Ethan told Hannah more on what to expect.
"The evening is highly organised." Una explained placidly, watching the London scenery pass them through the window. "They will probably let me exit first then make you drive around afterwards so you can make your grand entrance."
Hannah didn't like the sound of that. She felt like she didn't want to leave either Una's or Ethan's sides for the entire evening in case she screwed up.
"They will then make you wait your turn for photographs. They allow people to go up individually and couples in pairs." Una continued, as Ethan tenderly took her hand, sensing she felt a little wary. "After that, it'll be another short wait until you'll be allowed to go onto the carpet and approach the press for interviews and things."
Hannah distinctly felt her stomach suddenly shrivel at the thought that they were expecting them to approach the media and answer their questions. So far, Ethan had told her to avoid answering questions. Tonight, there would be no avoiding it.
The nerves were building up, and she felt like she was going to start hyperventilating.
Ethan smiled gently at her, reaching a reassuring arm across her shoulders and pulling her close.
"Don't worry, I'll be with you." He whispered gently. "You'll find the media calmer than the ones we get out and about. They're not fighting for our attention this time, so they won't be surrounding us."
"Just make sure you think about your answer before you give it." Una warned. "They will still fire questions, and some get a bit personal."
Hannah winced but concentrated on Ethans face to remind her of why she was doing this.
This was so they could be together. She had to get used to this until either it fell into normal routine or the press got bored of them because they weren't as dramatic as the other celebrities.
She swallowed her nerves deep down as the car began to slow down, and she looked down at her outfit in a vain attempt to find some kind of distraction from the growing chaotic noise from outside.
"So after the photographs and questioning, what would happen next?"
"We'd be let into the main hall, where we'll be having a five course meal and small talk with others at our table." Ethan explained, checking the time on his watch. "After the small talk, we will sit through the hosts speech on what the money is being raised for, an -"
"Yeah, what is the charity for tonight?" She interrupted.
"Tonight's charity is for children from poor countries across the globe." He explained numbly. "It's to make sure they get the food, clothing, toys, anything they might need."
Her heart ached at the thought but nodded, glancing up to see smartly dressed organisers holding clipboards, looking away from the car towards the red carpet.
She could see a few people gathered, likely making small talk with each other while they waited for their turn on the stage to get photographs taken.
"So after the speech, then what?"
"Hometime." He smirked, knowing neither he nor her could wait for that moment.
He was struggling to see her in her sparkly grey dress. She looked absolutely ravishing, and the hair and makeup were done to bring out her natural beauty.
Una had lended her a silver hair clip for the evening to compliment her outfit, and it made her look like royalty.
"What time will that be?" Hannah asked, keeping the conversation going so she could keep her nerves in check, still watching the slow procession outside.
"Depends." He replied, eyeing Una knowingly. "It'll be another late night, I'm afraid, but we should be alright for Friday to see Bea."
"I would like that. Do you have any plans for this weekend?"
"I was thinking about finally trying the swimming pool together. I think Bea would love that."
She smiled and tried her best to relax as the car inched forward so a woman with a clipboard could speak to the driver.
Her heart began jumping all over the place, feeling like it was bouncing off her lungs in an attempt to bungee jump out of her throat. Her hands gripped tightly to Ethans as she watched the stern woman approach the passenger door of the limousine and open it.
"Ms. Patil? Could we have you first, please?" She said in an authoritative voice.
Una sent Hannah a reassuring smile and sighed, shuffling along the seat before positioning herself to come out feet first.
She calmly took the hand of a man waiting to assist her and elegantly rose out of the car, her face cool and collected with a small placid smile fixed on her lips.
She confidently followed the guidance of the organisers and went towards the small crowd waiting for the stage.
Hannah watched her hang back a little from them before she felt Ethan stiffen beside her.
She gazed at him worriedly. "Are you ok?"
"I fucking knew they'd do this!" He hissed coldly, his eyes fixed on the group in front of Una.
"Do what?" She frowned as she looked back at the group when she saw what he meant.
Bianca was there! She was wearing a bright pink dress, talking to two men, flicking her hair back arrogantly over her shoulder while she kept the men's attention on her. She had seen Una arrive and make her way towards them, but blatantly ignored her once she got close enough.
Ethan began to grind his teeth at her cruel behaviour towards Una, but Hannah gripped his hand tighter, reminding him she was here.
"I'm sure it'll be fine." She assured him even though she had no idea what fuckery could happen later on.
The lady organiser opened their door again.
"Mr Sanders and his plus one?" She said sternly.
Ethan held his breath as he positioned himself to get out of the car first, Hannah following his lead and moving to sit just behind him.
He climbed out, his expression fixed in his signature poker face as he straightened up and fixed his jacket into place before turning and holding out his hand to help Hannah out of the car.
She copied Una's example and let her feet out of the car first, the close toe diamond encrusted shoes glittering in the spotlights above them, then took his hand and elegantly slipped out of the car.
She swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat when she noticed everyone watching her and allowed Ethan to loop her arm around his before they walked together towards the group.
Una was grinning widely at them as they approached, but Hannah couldn't help but watch Bianca blanch when she noticed them, her expression fixing into a venomous scowl after her initial shock vanished.
She schooled her face into a very fake, very forced smile before she whisked past Una towards Ethan.
"Ethan!" She cooed in a sickly sweet voice, flinging out her arms as she got closer, pretending Hannah wasn't there. "I've missed you!"
Hannah felt a sudden urge to punch the bitch for thinking she could try and act all pleasant with him after everything she'd done.
Ethan, however, arched an unimpressed eyebrow at her and smoothly avoided her advances, swerving both Hannah and himself around her and approaching the rest of the group.
Una bit back the temptation to laugh in Bianca's face and pretended to greet them, even though they had arrived in the same car.
"Ethan! Long time no see!" Said one of the men Bianca had been keeping captive only moments before.
Hannah recognised they were football players for Manchester United. She had never been one to show any interest in football, so she had no idea of their names, but smiled kindly as they shook Ethans hand one after the other.
"Marcus, Antony. Good to see you both again." Ethan grinned at them. "Congratulations on the win last weekend. Four nil, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, against Tottenham." The other man, who Ethan had greeted as Antony, grinned, looking proud, as well as a little flattered with Ethan's praises.
"Here's to another season." Marcus smirked, folding his arms smugly.
"I'd like to introduce you to Hannah." Ethan proudly announced, looking at Hannah like she held the world. "She's my date for this evening."
"And many more afterwards." Una added, nudging Hannah playfully.
"It's nice to meet you." Hannah muttered, holding out her hand to shake theirs, but the men leaned in and kissed her cheeks in the usual greeting.
"Congratulations to you both." Antony said kindly. "You look stunning, Hannah."
Her cheeks flushed, and she bashfully looked away, noticing Bianca seething at their reception just behind them out of the corner of her eye.
Serves you right, slag, she thought to herself as she made a point to ignore her like she had her and face the platform.
The footballers were called up, one after the other, within quick succession. While they were having their photographs taken, Una, Hannah, and Ethan were joined by a model and another actress.
While the model, who Hannah learned, was called Stephanie, was pleasant and up for conversation, the actress, she recognised as Christine Xao, only spoke to Bianca.
It appears the two actresses were quite pally with each other, as they kept casting dirty looks in Una and Hannah's direction.
After the footballers were finished getting their pictures taken, Bianca was called up.
She sauntered onto the stage, her face set with determination. The organiser tried to guide her to where everyone was expected to stand, but Bianca was having none of it.
"I know what I'm doing!" She spat at the poor young lad who was trying to do his job.
She took a moment to compose herself, double checking her outfit when she realised the short train of her dress was caught up behind her.
"You!" She snapped her fingers at the lad before pointing at the train. "Sort that quickly."
Hannah was dumbfounded by her poisonous attitude and selfish ego. She stared at Una in disbelief, who rolled her eyes at the actresses behaviour.
The lad hurried to lift the train and let it fall back down before darting back off the stage so he didn't get caught in the pictures, and Bianca finally faced the cameras.
Immediately, flashes blinded everyone as multiple photos were taken. Bianca smiled arrogantly, tilting her hips to one side and resting her hand on her hip, giving off an air of confidence and snobbish attitude.
Hannah wished the photographers had documented the moment she was bossing the poor organiser around. That would have shown the world who she really was as a person.
The organiser looked at his clipboard and approached Ethan.
"There's a request for you to -"
"No!" Ethan cut across him angrily. "I won't take part in any photographs with her! I am here with Una and Hannah, and they're the only ones I will be having pictures with!"
Christine, who watched him argue with the organiser, snidely leaned in and included herself in their disagreement, looking at the clipboard herself.
"There isn't anything there that says you will be taking pictures with Una or... her." She looked down at Hannah like she was shit on a sidewalk. "Only with Bianca." She smirked victoriously. "They get what they ask for, Ethan. You know that."
"Then they won't be getting shit!" Ethan spat at her, trembling as he resisted pushing her away from his girlfriend. "Mind your own fucking business!"
"Ethan." Una winced, putting a hand on his free arm and glancing around them. "Just ignore her."
Ethan took a deep breath in through his nose and turned away from Christine, deciding to blank her and focus his attention on Hannah.
"Looks like we will miss out on the photographs then." He whispered to her, trying to smirk and ease her anxiety but failing to make it look genuine.
He was absolutely furious!
He'd had a feeling that the organisers would do this because then it would create more exposure for their advertising. Pictures of him with Bianca were sure to sell, but he would be damned if he was going to allow it!
Hannah felt like she had a target on her back. She clung to Ethans arm, feeling cornered and uncomfortable with every passing second.
The way Bianca and Christine had been whispering together before Bianca was called on stage made her suspect that they had something more planned than just the photographs with Ethan.
Una watched Hannahs face struggle to hide her concerns and decided to take control of the situation.
"What's your name?" She asked the organiser after she slipped away from the group.
"Jordan." He replied cautiously.
"Jordan, could you do us a really big favour and just slightly rearrange the schedule?" She asked kindly, batting her eyelashes a little. She leaned in closer to him, looking back at Ethans void expression and Hannahs timid nature. "It's her first time, you see, and this bitchy attitude they're giving her, and you, is not helping one bit."
Jordan looked at Hannah clinging to the billionaire and did feel sorry for her.
"I'll see what I can do." He whispered to Una, smiling slyly.
Bianca was finally called off the stage when Ethan stubbornly refused to participate with their plans.
On Jordans list, Ethan was to remain on the stage for his part and then replaced with Una, but he called forward Christine instead.
Christine gawked at him for a split second, knowing that Ethan was supposed to be called up next, but when the young lad harshly called her name again, she rushed to get onto the stage.
She glared back at Hannah, thinking this was all her doing, and took her place on the stage.
Hannah watched her double-check her appearance before posing, and the lights went off like popcorn.
Ethan frowned, also noticing the change in the schedule. He looked at Una, raising an eyebrow in surprise at her. Una smirked back, winking secretly, before pretending to watch Christine finish her posing for the cameras.
Hannah felt sick. Ethan and Una had never shied away from telling her how bitchy the rich and famous could get, but to witness it in person made her feel insecure and ashamed of herself.
Bar Bianca and herself, everyone else was there because they had earned their right to be there, whether it was through talent or sheer determination and hard work.
Although, the longer she watched Christine flaunt herself, the more she was sure that the 'actress' on stage had only been in movies that required her to shed clothing.
Tearing her gaze away from the disgusting sight, she looked at Stephanie and smiled politely, letting go of Ethan to speak to her.
"I love your dress!" She complimented, eyeing the beautiful pale blue skater dress. "You look absolutely gorgeous in that."
The model looked down at her outfit in surprise at being complimented by her before smiling gratefully. "Thank you! I love yours as well. It really makes your eyes pop." She giggled, moving in closer and reaching up to admire her necklace. "That necklace is a wonderful touch."
"Oh my god, your ring!" Hannah gasped when she glimpsed the massive diamond ring on her left hand. "You're engaged?"
Stephanie blushed and nodded. "My boyfriend hates coming to these kinds of things. He says it makes him feel inferior."
"I can understand why." Hannah replied, casting a cold look back at the actress who had now been called down. "Those two weren't the nicest of people."
"They never are." Stephanie agreed, giving them her own dirty look. "Listen, if you want my advice, try not to give in to what they want. The only reason they've stuck around so long is because they feed off creating drama."
"Duely noted." Hannah nodded, smiling warmly. "I hope you're on our table. I'd love to get to know you. It'd be nice to make some friends."
The model smiled sadly. "I don't think we will be, but seek me out later after the meal, ok?"
She nodded and looked back towards the stage, waiting for the next call.
"Mr Sanders. If you could?" Jordan smiled at the billionaire.
Ethan, however, narrowed his eyes coldly at the organiser, suspecting he was up to something, until Una shoved him on the stage.
"Just go! Trust me!" She hissed, leaning over to grab Hannahs hand once Ethan had stepped up.
He adjusted his jacket again, giving Hannah a solemn look before looking towards the cameras and allowing them to snap their pictures.
"Miss?" Jordan approached Hannah. "I'm sorry. We only have you down as plus one. What's your name?"
"Uh, Hannah. Hannah Taylor." She replied slowly, worried about why he'd need to know that.
The organiser nodded and pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Mr Sanders' plus one is called Miss Taylor. Can we ensure they go together in a pair, please?"
Hannah blinked as she listened to him announce that to the other organisers and gave him a small, thankful smile at the kind gesture.
The grateful smile quickly vanished when he directed her to join Ethan on the stage.
She felt the blood drain from her face, and her legs suddenly turned to jelly.
"Hannah, go on." Una urged eagerly. "This your moment."
Hannah nodded numbly, feeling like she was having an out of body experience and watching herself rather than being in the moment.
"Mr Sanders?" Jordan called up to Ethan, who looked back down at him expectantly. "Miss Taylor will be joining you, now."
Ethans heart leapt! His scowl swiftly changed into an overjoyed grin as he held out his hand for his girlfriend.
Hannah bit her lip as she forced herself to walk forward, taking his hand and letting him pull her to his side.
The cameras had stopped for a moment to let them get sorted, but once they were settled and Ethan had told her to smile, they went off again faster than a machine gun, far more manic than they had been for the guests before them.
Hannah concentrated on her breathing to calm her palpitating heart and allowed herself to relax and enjoy the moment.
Bianca, who was now further along the red carpet, chose that moment to look back at her ex. She seethed with rage that the bitch he had brought with him was going to be in the photos with him!
She glared the most deadliest look she could muster at the happy couple, who smiled widely for the cameras and huddled close together.
She scrutinised this Hannah from head to toe, her mind full of her own opinions of her nemesis.
She probably had an eating disorder as the woman was unhealthily thin. She was also looking her age! Had she never heard of botox? Or even foundation, saying that. She had huge bags under her eyes and wrinkles around her mouth. She was disgusting to look at! What could Ethan see in her?!
Then she noticed the shoes she was wearing.
Those were supposed to be her shoes!! She was supposed to have been wearing them but had chosen a more expensive dress than she'd intended to, so she had no choice but to wear an old pair of shoes she owned.
How dare she copy her!! First, she tries to take her boyfriend, and now her style and shoes?!
Oh, this bitch was going to get it now!